The need for (flat) wicker baskets

I have a favorite wicker basket, shown here, and all through the Red Clover post. It's 20 inches across and an inch deep, excellent for drying bulkier herbs. It has a tight weave, so bits don't fall out of it, but plenty loose enough for air to circulate. It's beautiful, stained with elderberry juice, and I love it. Check out that braided edge. MMmm-mmm!

Today I wanted to harvest monarda/bee balm, but realized I had nowhere for them to dry if I did harvest because the red clover is drying in that basket.

So here goes the herbal shuffling: Clean and do something (what?) with the red clover so that later (when it's not so hot) I can harvest bee balm and dry it in the same basket.

I do lust after nice baskets, but don't get me wrong: I don't pay good money for baskets. I garage sale and thrift shop my baskets. So I go in streaks where I have enough, then I don't have enough. A harvest-ful time like July (usually this happens in late July, but what are you going to do?) is a time of basket scarcity. November? Basket plethora, but with the same number of baskets.

Recently a tragedy (okay, not really) happened to me when my favorite willow basket for laundry finally broke apart enough that I could no longer use it. A lot of it was my fault for not finding a better location to store it. I stored it atop my stacking washer/dryer, and when the washer went into spin, about a quarter of the time, the basket would fall off the top. We would turn to the dog and say "Zi! What did YOU DO?" and she looked guilty and we told her we loved her and it was funny. I'd try to get her  to help pick up the scattered clothespins, but the best she would do is take one and run off with it. Poor dog.

Anyway, if you find yourself asking: "Why do I have so many baskets?" either remember that you need them in a different season or send them to me!